Plug packer



Patented July 22, 1952 Application November 23, 1949, Serial No. 129,043

7 Claims.

This invention appertains to a well plug for sealing or plugging off alower section of a well bore and more particularly is directed to amethod andmeans for plugging a well hole in such a manner asto permitrecovery of the well casing or tubing.

'Theprimary object of this invention is to dependably seal off a wellcasing in a manner to prevent leakage and to resist pressure thrusts 7from above or below the plug.

Another important object. of this invention is to seal off a well holeand enable the well casing above the sealed zone to be removed forre-use.

This invention comprehends the positioning of an expandable plug orsealing member in a pipe casing by using a pipe string .to lower it intothe bore of the pipe casing and the locking'of the a plug in the casingat the lower endthereof by rotating the pipe string to expand the pluginto locking engagement with the walls of the casing. -,This=inventionfurther includes the removal of the pipe casing above the locked plug bypouring cement onto the plug and rupturing or fracturing the walls ofthe casing above the set cement to enable the portion of the casing thusremoved; to be pulled from the well hole.- I

These and ancillary objects and structural features of merit areattained by this invention the preferred embodiment of which is setforth in the following description and illustrated in the accompanyingdrawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of a well hole and casing showingthe plug in set or locked position in the casing;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view of the plug;

Figure 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the plug in setposition in the casing;

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view taken on line 4--4 of Figure 3, and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of the well hole andplug after the upper portion of the casing has been removed. In theaccompanying drawing, the numeral l0 designates a well hole within whicha well casing or tubing I2 is positioned, the lower portion thereofbeing lined by cement I4. It is the primary purpose of this invention toseal oil the lower portion of the casing I2 to permit removal of theportion of the casing above the seal. Thus, a plug I 6 is provided andis adapted to be lowered into the bore l8 of the casing by suitableloweringmeans, such as a pipe string 20.

The plug l6 includes an elongated body portion or rod 22, which isformed with an externally threaded lower end 24 and an exteriorly 2threaded upper end 26, the upper end being extensively threaded. Anenlarged member or cap 28 is formed with a threaded axially disposedsocket 30 receiving the end 24 of the rod, the member 28 thus the rod.

Anchoring means 32 is carried by the cap and is provided to initiallybrake the descent of the plug and to retain the same in the desiredlowered position. The means 32 includes an elongated strap 34 formed ofthin steel or similar material of a resilient nature and provided withapertured ends 36 and 38. The ends are posi-;

tioned in openings formed in the cap 28 and secured therein by atransverse pin or rivet 40 extending through the cap, so that the strapis centrally flexed and extends downwardly and outwardly from the cap toengage the walls of the casing 12.

A deformable resilient sleeve 42 is concentrically disposed on the rodand is spaced from the threaded end 26 by a tube 44 so that the threadson the end 26 do not come in contact with the sleeve. A collar or washer46 is slidably positioned on the rod and engages the upper end of thesleeve with the lower end of the sleeve seated on the cap 28. V

'A rotatable multi-sided member or nut 48 is threadingly engaged on theupper end 26 of the rod and is spaced from the sleeve by the washer 46.A socket member 50, complementary to the nut 48, is carried by the lowerend of the pipe string 20 and is adapted, upon rotation of the pipestring, to rotate the nut.

Means is provided for connecting the socket member 50 to the nut 48 sothat the plug can be lowered into the casing by the pipe string 20 andincludes a U-shaped Pin 52 which has its legs disposed in parallelopenings 54 in the socket member. The terminals 56 of the legs are bentback upon the socket member to lock the pin therein. It is to be notedthat the legs are positioned parallel in the bore of the socket memberand grooves or slots 58 are formed in the opposing sides of the nut toseat the legs. In use, the socket would be positioned on the nut, beforethe pipe string or plug would be lowered into the easing, and the pin isinserted, as seen in Figure 4, to lock the socket member on the nut andthereby connect the plug to the pipe string.

After the plug I6 is lowered into the casing [2 to the desired depth thepipe string 20 is rotated to force the anchoring means 32 into decidedengagement of the side walls of the casing. Continued rotation of thepipe string will result in being secured to the lower endof a downwardmovement of the nut 48 on the rod and efiect a coincidental compressionof the sleeve 42, which, as seen in Figure 3, will be translated into anexpansion of the sleeve laterally of the bore of the casing. The sleevewill thus be locked in fluid tight engagement with the walls of thecasing.

The pipe string is then pulled upwardly and the pin 52 is sheared sothat the socket 50 and the pipe string are dislocated from the plug [6,

which islocked in the casing bore. Cement is then introduced into thepipe string and forced onto the top of the plug, so that when ,it isset" a concrete top 60 is formed over the plug. Suit-r. V

able explosives, such as nitro-jelly are then emto ployed and lowered inthe casin above the con--. 3

and washer rotatably mounted on the-upper end=- of thbqdy member andengageable with the sleeve; said washer being interposed between saidnut'andsaidsleeve, and means supporting said. bodymember suspended inthe casing and-enageable. with said nut for rotating the sameto compressthe sleeve and expand it intofluidtight engagement. of the wallsof thecasing, saidnut having parallel notches inopposite sides there-- of,said support means including a socket surrounding said-nut and havingspaced openings inzalignment withsaidnotches, a pin extending throughsaid openings and seating in said notches and securing said socket tosaid nut. ,v 92,1 Thecombi-nationof claim 1, wherein said lower end ofthe body member is rotatably mounted-xthereon. p 3. The combination ofclaim 1, whereinsaid anchoring member includes a steelstraphaving V 4its ends secured to the lower end of the body member and extendingoutwardly therefrom and in alignment therewith.

4. The combination of claim 1, wherein the upper end of said body memberis externally threaded and a tube is interposed between the body memberand the sleeve. 7

5. The combination of claim 1, wherein said last means includes a pipestring connected to said socket. w 5' F 6; The combination of claim -1wherein said pin is U-shaped and adapted to shear when said socket isrotated in one direction.

. 27 Means for plugging oil well casings comprising an elongated bodymember having an enlarged .lower end, an anchoring member carried bysaid end and adapted to frictionally engage the Walls of a casing, adeformable resilient sleeve concentrically mounted on the body memberand seated on the enlarged lower end thereof, a nut and washer rotatablymounted on the upper. end

of the bodymember .andengageable.withlthe.

sleeve, said washer beinginterposed between said nutand said sleeve, andmeans supportinglsaid bodymember suspended in the casingiiand engageablewith said nut for rotating the same 'to.

compress the sleeve and expand it into fluidltigm engagement (of thewalls; of the casing, 'saidnut having spaced jlnot'ches' therein; said;support.- means including a socketsiirrounding saidm'lt,

a shear, pin extending through.fsaidsocket and seating inlsaid notchesto secure the-socketto the. body member v- ,lilf

1 1 V Q LIICAS'A.

nnrnlmivonsorrnn The following references are. of. record in t the;

file of this patent:

UNITE- l5 STATES PATEMTSE Number

